ABOVE: Volunteers take a break from loading the donated items in their parish drive for Ukraine relief. At far left is Tony Catalfino, pastor Fr. Zachary Miller is third from left, and Maryna Bagovska is far right.
Liverpool parishes’ Lenten project keeps the aid drive alive
By Dc. Tom Cuskey
It was a chance meeting at Catholic Charities in Syracuse that sparked a very successful parish project to support the people of Ukraine. Laura Ryder, a parishioner of the Linked Communities of Christ the King and Pope John XXIII in Liverpool, also volunteers for Birthright of Onondaga County. She was on a mission to the Catholic Charities of Onondaga County (CCOC) office.
Maryna Bagovska (left) and Liverpool parishioner Laura Ryder take a moment to enjoy the success of the aid drive at Christ the King and Pope John XXIII.
“I was bringing down a donation from Birthright actually, and she was there,” Ryder shared. The “she” was Maryna Bagovska, a Ukrainian native who brought her family to central New York in 2020. “She asked if I had a minute, if I could talk to her,” Ryder added. “ It was the Holy Spirit definitely at work!”
Bagovska is a Peer Navigator at Catholic Charities, assisting Ukrainian refugees. She also helps organize efforts to send needed supplies to families in her native country. Ryder knew this was something her parishes would want to support. “So, I brought the idea to Father Zach (Miller) as a community outreach project ministry for Lent, and he thought it was a wonderful idea. And the rest is history.”
A call to action
Maryna partners with Tony Catalfino, an area resident who has been volunteering in Ukrainian support ministry since long before the Russian invasion in 2022. Together, they now are initiating drives like the one at the Liverpool parishes to raise funds and collect clothing and non-perishable food for families in Ukraine.
When the first Russian bombs quickly mobilized forces in Ukraine, they also rocked Maryna’s world in Syracuse, thousands of miles away.
Maryna was working as a pre-school teacher when the war started, and the stress she felt was immediate. “My mom was still there in Ukraine, so my heart was there,” she explained. She quit her job, knowing she had to get involved in aiding her family and friends back home. “I decided that I can do, and I want to do something more for Ukrainians, for my country, while being here.”
That led her to Catholic Charities.
Bagged donations from parishioners filled rooms at each of the two parish sites.
“I really wanted to be helpful. And so, I found this incredible place to work. And we help refugees, so many people.” More than 800 refugees have been resettled locally by CCOC, including Maryna’s mother. “I’m extremely happy and blessed to be part of this team.”
The blessing really started earlier when Maryna won a green card lottery that allowed her and her family to come to America. She soon was amazed by the simple things so many of us take for granted.
“Like for example, you won’t believe but peanut butter is something in Ukraine we’ve never heard about,” she said. “Maybe heard but never tasted peanut butter, and all these cookies … canned tuna … you know, we don’t have this.”
Maryna started putting together boxes of goods to send to her family and friends back home. It grew into a monthly mission.
“But when the war started in February 2022, it was absolutely unexpected, devastating … I felt like my body is here but my heart was 100% there. I was crying nonstop. I could not eat, I could not sleep. I was emotionally totally broken.”
From her brokenness, Maryna became energized to help as much as she could, putting together purchases and donations of needed goods – clothing, food, toiletries and more – into shipments. What set her efforts apart was the door-to-destination outreach she could provide. “I … want to emphasize that we are not sending these boxes just to the border, and then someone will distribute. I know these people personally; I have all their addresses.”
Still, it is a war zone. That created a need for flexibility, creativity and focus to get the goods into the hands of people in need. “It was like on break, on hold,” she said. “But now everything is working. But it’s still stressful.”
The need still exists
One of the challenges this ministry faces is keeping people aware that the war continues to burden the Ukrainian people.
“I remember early morning. It was Thursday, you know, February 24, when the war started,” Maryna recalls. “I was absolutely convinced that it [would] be over by Sunday.”
Two years later, there is no end to the fighting in sight. A huge wave of initial support from American churches, charities and organizations buoyed the spirits and filled the cupboards of the people there. As time has passed, the aid donations have slowed. Maryna is hopeful that the example set by the Liverpool parishes will stir others in the diocese to renewed action.
More than $5400 was raised through the efforts of the Christ the King and Pope John XXIII community, and donations of food, clothing and personal products overflowed the cargo trailer attached to Tony Catalfino’s truck. Those goods have been packed and made ready for delivery. The monetary donations will help cover the shipping overseas. “I could never imagine that it [would] be absolutely incredible,” Maryna adds. But as fighting continues, the aid brings only temporary comfort to people there.
That truth is not lost on Maryna, and it keeps her focused on seeking new sources of assistance for a people in need.
“It’s pain in my heart everyday. It’s like [an] open wound,” she says. “I have three children, and two sons and I kiss them every night, good night. And when I kiss, I bless them, I pray. I cannot imagine mothers in Ukraine, who every night go to bed, and something happens … they don’t have [a] next day.”
If your parish, school or organization would like to organize an aid campaign for Ukraine, contact Maryna at 315-401-6333, or contact Tony Catalfino at 315-374-2353, call or text.
